Best of New York 2009 • Eating

• Rouge Tomate

  10 E. 60th St., nr. Madison Ave. 646-237-8977

  “Fresh juice” is the first rule of modern mixology, but the cocktail program at Rouge Tomate might be the only one in town to avail itself of its very own juice bar, a glass-enclosed annex behind the long, curving bar. What sets this place apart from the Jamba franchises and health spas of the world is its liquor license, which means that your concoction, while teeming with antioxidants and vitamins, is also shaken and strained into a real glass over good ice by a trained barkeep, who may even spike it with booze. The P.S.T., for instance, counteracts the potentially health-inducing effects of pumpkin juice, cucumber juice, celery juice, and yuzu with a good dose of sake. Virgin cocktails, though, are just as inspired: Sage lends a subtle fragrance to the Velvet Sienna, a refreshing blend of pineapple purée, carrot juice, and huckleberries, and the winter smoothie melds orange juice, blood-orange juice, and local organic yogurt from Hawthorne Valley Farm for a suavely salubrious Creamsicle effect.

  See Also
  A Tour of Rouge Tomate and the Full Menu
  Adam Platt's Where to Eat 2009: Stripped-Down Makeovers

From the 2009 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine